New Motor & I Wish My Main Had Reef

[PenBaySailor]

Got my new Honda BF2 longshaft 4-stroke on Thursday and took it out on the boat for a test yesterday. I have to say it works "wicked decent." (Maineiac speak for very well) It moved the boat along fine at low to moderate throttle speeds, I can't speak for full-throttle handling yet as it is still being broken in, but it works some slick with the clutch system. It's only going to see use if we are becalmed ... well, outside of occasional running up to make sure all is well of course.

We went out for a daysail this AM and sailed from Rockland up to Rockport, out 3/4 of the way to Vinalhaven and then back home again. It was blowing 15-18 kts for the last half of the day and my wife doesn't like me washing the lee rail (even though I told her it was a form of cleaning and she should be pleased I find interest in that), but the main has no reef points, so I opt for the fisherman's reef of letting the jib draw and sheeting the main out until it's backed a bit. I am having a new suit of working sails made for her by Doug Pope of Pope Sails & Rigging here in town (an excellent sailmaker, by the way) and one of the criteria is a single deep reef. Does any other Ty owner have hooks on their boom or thinking of adding them? I could lash it as I used to on my Rhodes 19, but lacing line takes time as we all know. Wondering about jiffy reefing setups that anyone may have to share.

The boat did splendidly though, as I knew it would, and by the end of the sail my mate was comfortable with the boat being over at about 18 degrees. She said "It doesn't feel as spooky as the Rhodes." I love that term and I am going to start using it all the time now!

Hope everyone got to do some sailing this past weekend, it was great here on the mid-coast of Maine!

Regards,

Paddy

[Neil Gordon]

... one of the criteria is a single deep reef. Does any other Ty owner have hooks on their boom or thinking of adding them? I could lash it as I used to on my Rhodes 19, but lacing line takes time as we all know. Wondering about jiffy reefing setups that anyone may have to share.

The sailing was good in Boston this weekend, too.

Ask the other Ty owners, but consider two reefs instead of a single deep one. You'll have more options and per another recent thread, it's not major extra work for the sailmaker.

Jiffy reefing works but it's not critical. You can permanently rig reefing lines for your tack and clew by tying them around the boom, leading them through the sail and having them available then when you need them. It's a bit of an extra step over jiffy reefing since you can't get to both lines and the main halyard at the same time. On the other hand, if you have crew (in a Ty or any other boat) and one of you handles the main and the tack and the other takes care of the clew, then it's as jiffy as jiffy reefing would be.

Enjoy the boat... great sailing there!

[slaume]

When I had my Typhoon we had a main with reef points and I rigged lines on the boom to make it easy. The thing we did not have was a topping lift the first year. It is a real pain to reef a Ty with nothing but that little backstay penant to hold up the boom. What we would usually do was judge the wind and put a reef in while still on the mooring. If you wanted to reef while underway it was a major pain. Once I added the topping lift reefing became very easy. I would second the vote for two reef points over one deep one, Steve.

[DanaVin]

I'm not familiar with how the engine mounts on your boat but in my CD25 it sits in a well. When we first ran her with the Honda 5HP - 4 stroke, long shaft, she did o.k. was it sounded like it was getting strangled at anything higher than the start area on the throttle.
We finally figured out it was starving for air and was choking. Now we run with the engine cover held up about 2". Runs great and breathes smoothly. Guess with the small dorads and exhaust it was suffocating itself.
Just a thought.
Thanks
Dana